


The ones who keep going

by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Afterlife, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Heaven, Not Canon Compliant, Oliver Queen Deserves Better, Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28019595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen/pseuds/Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen
Summary: Sequel of sorts to Barry Allen's goodbye but not necessary to read to understand. Following the Crisis, Barry moves on with his family as Oliver finally finds peace.
Relationships: Barry Allen & Oliver Queen, Barry Allen/Patty Spivot, Oliver Queen & Robert Queen
Comments: 15
Kudos: 11





	The ones who keep going

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bl4ckHunter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/gifts).



> This was born out of my dissatisfaction with Oliver’s ending (ending up with Felicity in some kind of afterlife purgatory is not a happy ending, no matter what Guggie says) and inspired by Bl4ckHunter’s story ‘At the end of the road’. 
> 
> It’s not necessary to read ‘Barry Allen’s goodbye’ in order to follow the story, but would probably help a little bit. 
> 
> Italics are scenes from the afterlife.

Midway City

Morning

After dropping off the letters to his loved ones back in Central City at the post office, Barry returned home to the house he now shared with Patty and their children. Some part of him was still in a bit of shock at the gift Oliver had given him. A life with Patty, children, some part of him had longed for this for longer than he could remember. Barry was so grateful for this but also very aware of the cost Oliver had paid in giving this to him.

As he entered the house, he smiled at the sound of laughter of his children. Walking into the living room, he found his wife and children huddled on the floor in some kind of tea party. Life could be worse, Barry mused with a smile as he walked over to his family.

_Oliver found himself in Queen Mansion, looking around wearily. The last thing he remembered had been saying goodbye to Barry and Sara at the dawn of time. This certainly didn’t look like Hell. Was this Heaven? Oliver doubted someone like him could ever end up here. Barry and Kara certainly, but not him._

_“If you’re thinking you don’t deserve to be here, you’re wrong son.”_

_Oliver paled as he heard the familiar voice speak up behind him. Turning around, Oliver came face to face with his father._

_“You’ve always been too hard on yourself,” Robert said as Oliver stared in shock._

_“Dad?”_

_“Hi Oliver. I’m so proud of you,” Robert said with a beaming smile. “Of the man you’ve become, a far better man than I could have ever been.”_

_“Where are we?” Oliver asked after a moment._

_“Don’t you already know?” Robert said coyly._

_“This is Heaven?” Oliver said in surprise. “I thought…”_

_“That we’d both end up in Hell? The Lord is very forgiving, as it turns out,” Robert said as he looked out the window. “Your friends Shado and Yao-Fei have a place about eight miles from here. And Maseo and Akio have one just two miles south.”_

_Robert took out a class and poured something in it. He handed it to Oliver and he took a sip. Australian Rump, just like the one he, Slade and Sara had shared the night before their doomed attempted to take the Amazo._

_“Mom, Tommy…” Olive trailed off. “Everyone.”_

_“You gave them their lives back,” Robert said with a smile. “You’ll see them again someday. Until then…we wait.”_

Midway City

Barry walked with Patty, him holding Dawn’s hand as she held Dawn’s hand as they walked towards a picnic table

_Oliver fired an arrow, hitting a target dead center as Yao-Fei nodded in approval._

Barry was in the backyard of his house as he and Don, now age ten, played catch as Patty and Dawn watched from the front parch.

_Oliver laughed as he, Yao-Fei, Robert and Maseo shared a drink._

Barry, Patty, Joe, Cisco, Caitlin, Cecile, and Ralph all snag Happy Birthday on the twins’ twelfth birthday party.

_Oliver took off on a motorcycle, riding on a highway that resembled Star City’s._

Many years later, Barry, his hair now old and grey, laid in a bed in Star Labs, hooked up to several machines. It turns out, not even speedsters could live forever. The human body could only run at super speed for so long. Dawn and Don, now all grown up, approached him, their eyes full of tears.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Barry, his voice weak, croaked.

“Daddy…” Dawn trailed of, tears falling from her eyes.

Barry simply smiled, reaching his hands out for their hands. They each took a hand.

“A friend of mine told me once that dying was the easy part. The dead are at peace, the real heroes are the ones who have to keep going. So I need you both to keep going, okay?” Barry told them weakly.

“We will Dad. You can rest now,” Don said with a weak smile. “It’s time to let go.”

Barry smiled slightly before closing his eyes for the last time.

_Oliver got off his motorcycle and turned it off. He walked onto the docks that were a perfect copy of the ones that had held the statue of Laurel Lance many years earlier. Sensing someone behind him, Oliver smiled, knowing who it was._

_“I’ve been waiting for you,” Oliver said as he turned around._

_“Hey Ollie,” Barry said with a wide grin._

_“Hey,” Oliver said before the two old friends embraced, happy to see each other after such a long time._

**Author's Note:**

> And that is an ending Oliver deserved, you Oliver hating hacks.


End file.
